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- Chief Highknocker
- You aren't local until you have at least three generations in the cemetery.
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27 comments:
Does anyone know what the next step is for the City?
Saw in the Chicago Tribune that Tuscumbia is going to be auctioned this year. Noted that only 10 of the new condos will be sold without reserve. Anyone know any more details?
This one is fairly predictable to guess what happened last night.
The city of Green Lake was the pawn for Lindenwood/ GLCC in this whole debackle. The city jumped through many, many hoops, staff and council spent many hours reviewing this request, talking to citizens and groups, doing studies, etc. Losing their focus of other city issues and concerns,
all because of this request to consider annexation, when in the end, ....... Lindenwood and ABA simply announce that they now have a revised plat for the project that the town of Brooklyn will consider.
Leaving GL council members looking foolish and used.
In the meantime,,,, what might have happened to cause the switch.
Just guessing here, someone at some level may have told Lindenwood and ABA to give it up, as to the annexation to city of Green Lake. Either that it wasn't going to fly or that it might get turned down upon review by the state, Or perhaps that there was no validity to trying to attach land that isn't contiguous.
Other possibility. The bank that is behind all of this may have said enough is enough... time has passed, no lot sales, nothing happening, everything is getting bogged down in process, and the bank was worried about getting its' money on the loan. They may have forced the issue for Lindenwood/ ABA.
Or else.... Lindenwood/ABA are both in deep financial pressure tied to the way this project is structured and could no longer huff, puff and posture, and had to go back to the drawing board with a new plat plan as the only option to try to move forward since money has been spent on land development but no progress on cash coming in from lot sales.
No matter what the cause, the city
of Green Lake appears to have been used in this game of chess. Precious time and energy were spent by staff and council members for no good reason.
Was the approach to annex to GL just a bluff all along? Don't really know. Just the whole waste of time and resources is too bad for a group of staff and council members who were just trying to do their job.
They got in the way of a developer and property owners who are in desperate financial times, looking for some way out of this mess.
Hopefully a decent plan will be proposed to Brooklyn that is good for the development, good for the environment and good for Brooklyn.
The next step is for the city to meet with the town officals and the petitioners and hopefully get an agreement good for both the town and city. The annexation is in the hands of the city. The petitioners cannot change that fact. If the town and the petitioners want this development to go ahead, there has to be some compromise to benefit the city also. We are a stakeholder here.
What concerns me more is the fact the citizens of the town did not have a chance to attend this quickly set up meeting. Nor did the city representatives get a chance to attend. You must have noticed that Mike Wuest and his board attend our meetings. What is Mike trying to pull here? If I lived in the town, I would be really upset!
Since the petitioners did not sign the reimbursement agreement, the city is not going to let them off the hook owing us money. Sorry folks, but we are not stupid nor are we pawns in a chess game...
The person who asked about Tuscumbia should read the March 6th issue of the Ripon newspaper. There's a big story explaining the whole thing.
Gee, Donna, why would Mike Wuest and his board attend a meeting that might hold a profound influence on what happens in the township of Brooklyn? Just what is that man up to? Enquiring minds want to know...
I live in the city and am not upset in the least. I live in the city and believe with all my heart that the city should never have even considered the annexation but turned it down with a flat NO from day one.
“Nobody can acquire honor by doing what is wrong” Thomas Jefferson
Building a healthy relationship between the city and the town of Brooklyn should have been the priority, not trying to take 900 acres of their land so that the city could bring in more tax money. Lindenwood development should just sell the land to someone else and go home. I don't want them tearing apart our community any more. Go home, Lindenwood, GO HOME! Bad dog!
Need more info...
Why did City council table the issue?
What meetings did the twon set-up in short notice?
As a TOB Resident, I hope our largest taxpayer stays in theTown. The TOB Board should have approved the Lindenwood plat a year ago and never let this mess happen. Those damn homeowners and their attorney have made a mess and held up progress long enough. Its time to get on with it!
The city sure couldn't seem to get their act together on this, so I'm glad things appear to have been or are being worked out with the Town. Before this mess went to the city, I think the battle cry of the "development done right" brigade was, "go back and wortk things out with the Town”. Now that it sounds like that might be done or being worked on, I'm sure they'll find another problem with the development to complain about.
All of you with your accusations and assumptions about what did and didn’t go on, remember, you really have no idea or factual basis, as I don’t either. I do know what I have heard and what I can piece together. Whatever has happened with the ABA trying to expand their business and their ministry, is just that… business.
I am so glad that we have these "well-informed" telling us what we should do or think. How could our local community get along without these "well-informed" residents?
Tuscumbia. Maplewood. Big developments aren’t working here folks… save our only resource- our natural environment. The only reason people come here- they don’t want to come to another ill-planned housing development.
Thanks for the open forum, Chief.
Maybe ex-NY Gov. Spitzer will be the first buyer of a few lots- I hear he’s look’in for somewhere to get away & he’ll fit right in around here.
Did anyone need any more evidence that Lindenwood is a shoddy deal? Case & point; if they conduct business like this how do you think the development would turnout? Do you think they care at all for the environment? Do you think they’d keep their word/agreement to anyone? If they'd had a decent plat & were legit they would have kept working with TOB & not pulled the annexation stunt --- GLCC/ABA(what ever they want to go by for their current purposes) & Lindenwood are to blame for this mess- shame on them for making the city & town officials look like groveling animals out for meat. They‘re making a joke of the Comp.Plan process & bullying their promise of development money around until they get just what they want- regardless of what’s good for the community. A good, experienced developer would not come to a community and make such a mess- Lindenwood GET OUT- you’re bad news… City & town, I hope, can work together, hire local builders & make a decent, well-planned development. Yes, Brooklyn resident (3/18), it’s just business- but what kind of business? The way they have behaved does not show good business sense, it shows desperate greed. It is foolish to have anything to do with people who will treat other people as Lindenwood & the deal makers have.
Sounds like a resigned sore loser above. Enough of the slander of Lindenwood and glcc staff. These are good people. Yes they will make a profit. Business risk should equal profit. You should count your own money and maybe one day you could be on the receiving end of the slander. Lindenwood will do this development right. I applaud their entreprenuership. Let the building begin!
Word is ABA/Linenwood are going to begin logging parts of the grounds there, before any agreements or zoning is done, on top of the mess they have already made! Sounds like the cart before the horse, again. That's their style! Heaven help us all!!!!
However you look at this whole development issue and regardless of which side of the fence you sit, you can't escape the fact that it's been a complete and utter fiasco, that has -
- wasted money and resources paid for by local residents
- proven divisive and detremental to the community in general
- caused instibility and disruption to our City and Council
- raised questions as the the integrity of City/Council members
- failed to make progress deemed satisfactory to any of the parties involved
....and the list goes on.
It's been a shambles and continues to be. I suggest this is elevated to State level and that some intervention is requested. Amateur politicians should not be rolling the dice with our (tax) money. If this were a corporation, heads would have rolled by now. We're inadequately equipped to deal with these issues within the confines of our own offices, as we've proven time and time again. We need help from people who know what they're doing.
You're right. Proposals, changes and plans will continue to come at the TOB and the City, and they will be the likes of things that we have never dealt with before. The LW/LAW/GLCC plan is an example. The TOB didn't know how to handle it. Some angry neighbors started the battle cry of the Comp Plan, only problem is, the TOB has largely ignored their Comp plan since its adoption. It's difficult to enforce what you have largely ignored for years.
There is so much work to be done in shoring up procedures, policies and our future reaction to such plans, it's hard to guess what will happen.
Best post yet from March 19, 2008 8:31 AM.
We need help...lets ask for it.
Rumor has it, since the Town and the City couldn't make a decision on the propossed project out at the GLCC, that the developer and conference center have petitioned the State of Wisconsin to form their own municipality. If that happens, then we all loose. Come on folks, whats wrong with a few extra people spending their dollars on the goods and services in our great community of Green Lake? Why send them someplace else.
Where's the Beef?
It would be hard to believe that the GLCC would get approval from the state to form it's own municipality. If it's that easy, I want to separate my home and property from the city of Green Lake, and form my own little town. I will pay taxes to myself, and live quite happily for ever and ever.
7:24 am Great comment!
Did anybody notice the GL Reporter & Ripon paper today? in the GL Reporter it says he offers his support to mayoral challenger Chuck Mirr. Ripon paper there is no metion of him supporting Chuck but "I think Joe's going to win..." So much for supporting Chuck. Good thing Larry resigns...wishy washy.
Based upon the information presented today in the Green Lake Reporter and Ripon Commonwealth I believe we haven't seen anything yet. Up until now, it seemed that most people were against the city of Green Lake taking on the development at the ABA but now that the City feels it was snubbed an manipulated, my guess is they feel all bets are off and to hell with the Town of Brooklyn. The gloves are going to come off and the City is going to try and approve the annexation just to piss off the ABA and the Town of Brooklyn. Prior to doing that, I believe they would be well advised to insure a successful annexation, incase it is challenged by anothr authority (state)
In the end, it appears that the town was advised that they stood a good chance of losing the legal battle with regards to their zoning ordinances based upon contradictory plans.
Everyone seemed so quick to want to hang the ABA/developers when maybe, just maybe they were in the right with regards to designing their plat as prescribed by the TOB existing ordinances.
Ultimately, a year and a half have gone by, a significant amount of money has passed hands, and in the end, it appears, that what was originally presented will ultimately pass.
Even if somehow the city ends up with the property, the plat will most likely be the same as what the TOB just approved due to the fact that the city's ordinances allow for the 20,000 ft lots.
If anything positive has come out of this unfortunate exercise, it is that the City of Green Lake and the TOB should have learned that they should be setting like laws and ordinances so that they can't be played against each other. In all earnest, this area is too small to have two governing bodies and really should consider combining the ruling bodies so provide for a more cohesive governing going forward.
Maybe, if there was only one ball, everyone would learn to play together.
This was truely an example of the "haves" wanting all others to "have not".
And no, I am not nor work for the developer, the ABA, or any other party who stands to gain from this development. Merely a citizen who has stood by and watched this whole situation unfold and somehow, thru the entire process felt something just wasn't right.
Let's face it, the exact same thing happened when the owners of Norton's decided to get out of the resturant business and build condo's on their property. People were up in arms. Why ? Was it because they didn't have the right to do so. No, they did have the right to do so. It was just no one wanted to see Norton's go. Understandable. It had been a land mark in Green Lake for 1/2 a century or more. The only reason the condo's are not there today is because the owners at the time, gave into the pressure of the legal group of wealthy people who wanted to fight it. Huh ! Sound familar ? Granted, maybe in the end, there would of only been 8 or 10 condo's versus 12, but it would of eventully passed.
The only difference between Norton's and the ABA is the ABA/Developers chose to fight.
I always thought someone was innocent until proven guilty. What the ABA/developers did was try and find the path of least resistence to their goal. How is that different than any business undertaking that happens everyday in corporate America. They tried to go thru the TOB but do to their ordinance confusion and the road blocks that the "wealthy legal contingency" tried to put up, they realized they may need a different tack. Any sailor knows, when the wind changes, you have to be ready to improvise if you wish to continue your course.
If the city is smart, they will walk away from this now and hopefully learn as did the TOB that the two entities need to combine as one and insure that most if not all of their govering laws and ordiances are parallel to each other or this will not be the last time this happens to these groups.
Anonymous comment above; you bring up a lot of good points about the city & town-we can learn from this and get on with things in a better way.
I have to disagree with you about the GLCC/ABA,developers... they seem to have been more divisive in their actions than seeking the path of least resistence. I think they wanted to just slide this whole thing through in the middle of a winter night and who says you can just submit a plat and have it accepted the first time around - with such big changes and lack of information - it seems to be a pretty big assumption on their part to think they have money & can push their way through -the little town will say ok whatever you want. I don't think they chose to fight, I think they had to fight- they already have a deal going w/ ABA there's too much investment to loose.
11:17 p.m. two posts above is absolutely correct. The Ripon paper lays out exactly how the town realized they screwed up in denying the plat the first two times, and how even the town's lawyer advised them to approve the original, 97-lot plat with half-acre parcels.
The denials wouldn't have stood up in court because of the conflicting ordinances, so the town finally admitted its error. So much for those hysterical, part-time ABA homeowners who kept pounding on the comp plan to save them from change. The comp plan wasn’t the point because the town’s actual subdivision ordinance allows it. It's all outlined in the town-developer agreement and the Ripon newspaper. Read.
I heard to TOB had been working on revising their Comp Plan so they would not loose the taxes of ABA/GLCC.
The TOB's subdivision ordinance (20,000 sf lots) conflicts with its Comprehensive plan (1-2 acre lots)... imagine that, government ordinances in conflict? That's the root of this entire issue, what a shame.
The homeowners were following the TOB Comp Plan, unfortunately for the sake of the lake itself, there is a conflict with a subdiv. ordin. Since the Comp Plan is being rewritten that is strange, too. So much for trying to save the lake! Water is going to be fought over is the future like oil is now so this is very short sighted.
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